United States Navy Chaplains serve with the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Merchant Marine, and with the Coast Guard.
For the next 11 months, I am with the Coast Guard. This is exciting. I have never been with the CG. There is a steep learning curve.
While navigating the learning curve, I also have to do a fair amount of paperwork. The reason is that the Navy is part of the Department of Defense (DoD). The Coast Guard is Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
It would be a lovely thing if these groups would learn to communicate.
I have to get a new travel credit card. My current card is DoD. I need one from DHS.
I had to forward my DoD security clearance to the Coast Guard. They can use the DoD clearance, but they do not have direct access to it.
While I am at it....
Thankfully, the Coast Guard issues uniforms. One of the quirks of the US Military is that officers buy their own uniforms. When one is a chaplain, able to serve with many services, that can get quite expensive. If nothing else, I may have to build a new closet soon.
Some things I have to buy though. I have to buy my sew-on collar insignia. It is a special order. The cost per insignia is $4.50. I need two devices. One should logically conclude that the net cost to me would be $9.00. The company that makes them will not make less than 20. I have the uniform distributors looking into it.
The same problem holds for the shoulder boards. The uniform distributors in theory should be able to get mine for about $32. It is not an item they stock though. For me to order directly from the manufacturer will cost me $57. I do not know how this will turn out.
This is exciting though. Apparently, there will be a requirement over the summer for two chaplains to ride a cutter up in the Arctic. I naturally volunteered. Hopefully, I will get picked.
Have a good night.
R/SCG
P.S. UserDanD - thank you for your comments this morning. I am glad you found me. I did not know I was lost.
P.S. UserDanD - thank you for your comments this morning. I am glad you found me. I did not know I was lost.
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ReplyDeleteThat's how long it took to find this one obscure reference to Userdand on Gooogle. I like to run a search from time to time to keep me alert to just how little anonimity and privacy we really have. I have a friend whose brother used to be in Naval Itelligence. He says we don't know the half of it. Talk about paranoid; he refuses to allow a cordless phone in his home.
Anyway, I clicked on your username on the PHEA blog and "found" you here. I commented on Lance Armstrong and your daughter's singing voice, or more accurately, MY daughter's singing voice. I get emails about posts and comments On PHEA but don't get there often as I am pretty blog laden as is. I'll try to stop in more often. I do have you bookmarked. And Jen was right. You should have bought an "American" car, or did someone give you such a deal like so many other things in your blessed life.
My oldest son was an Air Force CMSgt with 7 years in and tons of cross-training. He wanted to make it a career. Stationed in Alaska, NJ, and a tour in Saudi Arabia. They then stationed him in Valdosta, GA. He had a flare up of asthma and it was goodbye: medical discharge. I am sure they had nearly $100K invested in him by that time. It would seem like he could just be stationed somewhere his allergies would not be a problem and they could continue to amortize out their investment expenses. My tax dollars at work.
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